Automatic handling buffer for bare stocker

Abstract

A buffer station for automatic material handling system can provide throughput improvement. Further, by storing to-be-accessed workpieces in the buffer stations of an equipment, the operation of the facility is not interrupted when the equipment is down. The buffer station can be incorporated in a stocker, such as bare wafer stocker.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A substrate stocker comprising:
 a stocker storage disposed within a sealable chamber formed by walls of a housing of the substrate stocker and configured for storing substrates, where the housing includes a closable access port extending through one of the walls into the sealable chamber; 
 a manual stocker loading station coupled to the one of the walls of the sealable chamber and configured so as to define an interface of a substrate container disposed at the manual stocker loading station with the stocker storage such that the substrate container disposed in the manual stocker loading station is juxtaposed with the stocker storage and the stocker storage communicates with the substrate container disposed in the manual stocker loading station through the access port extending through the one of the walls of the sealable chamber of the housing of the substrate stocker, the manual stocker loading station being arranged for manual loading and unloading of the substrate container; 
 an integral container buffer, included in the housing separate and distinct from the manual stocker loading station, the integral container buffer comprising one or more substrate container buffer stations disposed within the sealable chamber of the housing of the substrate stocker in communication with the manual stocker loading station; 
 a substrate transfer mechanism configured to extend through the access port to transfer the substrates between the substrate container, disposed in the manual stocker loading station, and the stocker storage through the access port interfacing the substrate container with the stocker storage; and 
 a container transfer mechanism, based in the housing, and configured so as to load and unload the substrate container to and from the integral container buffer and communicate, within the sealable chamber of the housing, the substrate container between the manual stocker loading station and both the integral container buffer and at least another stocker loading station across the manual loading station and configured for loading substrate containers to and from the substrate stocker across the manual stocker loading station. 
 
     
     
       2. The substrate stocker of  claim 1 , wherein the at least another stocker loading station is configured to interface the substrate container with an automatic transport independent of the container transfer mechanism. 
     
     
       3. The substrate stocker of  claim 1 , further comprising a mechanism configured for transferring the substrate container between the integral container buffer and an automatic transport independent of the container transfer mechanism. 
     
     
       4. The substrate stocker of  claim 1 , further comprising a mechanism configured for transferring the substrate container between the manual stocker loading station and an automatic transport independent of the container transfer mechanism. 
     
     
       5. The substrate stocker of  claim 1 , wherein the stocker storage further comprises a drop station, wherein the drop station accepts a single substrate from the manual stocker loading station, and wherein the substrate transfer mechanism is configured to transfer a substrate between the drop station and the stocker storage. 
     
     
       6. The substrate stocker of  claim 5 , wherein the drop station is adapted to allow the substrate to be picked up at a bottom and at an edge. 
     
     
       7. A substrate stocker comprising:
 a stocker storage housing with 
 an integral container buffer having at least one substrate container buffer station, and 
 a substrate storage, separate and distinct from the integral container buffer, disposed within the stocker storage housing common to the integral container buffer; 
 more than one container loading station communicably connected to the stocker storage housing, at least one of which is a manual container loading station configured so as to define an interface of a manually loaded substrate container with the stocker storage housing for loading and unloading at least one of the substrate containers in and out of the stocker storage housing, and for loading and unloading substrates independent of the substrate containers in and out of the stocker storage housing such that the manually loaded substrate container disposed in the manual container loading station is juxtaposed with the stocker storage housing and the substrate storage communicates with the substrate containers disposed in the manual container loading station through a port of the stocker storage housing, wherein at least another of the more than one container loading station is across the manual container loading station and configured so as to interface the substrate containers with a container transport system exterior to the stocker storage housing; and 
 a transfer system, based in the stocker storage housing, and communicating with the integral container buffer, the substrate storage, and each of the more than one container loading station, the transfer system being configured so as to load and unload the at least one of the substrate containers and the substrates independent of the substrate containers to and from the integral container buffer and communicate the substrate containers and the substrates independent of the substrate containers between at least one of the more than one container loading station and both the integral container buffer and the at least another of the more than one container loading station across the manual container loading station. 
 
     
     
       8. The substrate stocker of  claim 7 , wherein at least one of the more than one container loading station is configured to interface the substrate containers with an automatic transport independent of the container transport system. 
     
     
       9. The substrate stocker of  claim 7 , further comprising a mechanism configured for transferring the substrate containers between the integral container buffer and an automatic transport independent of the container transport system. 
     
     
       10. The substrate stocker of  claim 7 , further comprising a mechanism configured for transferring the substrate containers between the manual container loading station and an automatic transport independent of the container transport system. 
     
     
       11. The substrate stocker of  claim 7 , wherein the stocker storage further comprises a drop station, wherein the drop station accepts a single substrate from the manual container loading station, and wherein the transfer system is configured to transfer a substrate between the drop station and the stocker storage. 
     
     
       12. The substrate stocker of  claim 11 , wherein the drop station is adapted to allow the substrate to be picked up at a bottom and at an edge.